Military News

ANCHORAGE (AP) — A jury acquitted an Army soldier on Thursday, April 26 of manslaughter and homicide charges in the death of a friend during a drunken game of Russian roulette in Eagle River last year.

The jurors returned not guilty verdicts on manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges for Jacob Brouch, 27. He was found guilty of a weapons misconduct charge, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.

Brouch choked back tears after the jury forewoman read the not-guilty verdict on the second felony.

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson officials are seeking the public's help in locating an airman who hasn't been heard from since April 22.

Clinton Reeves, a 22-year-old senior airman, was last seen leaving his duty location on April 19, according to a press release issued by Maj. Joseph Coslett. According to the release, Reeves was last heard from on April 22 and officials became concerned when he didn't show up for duty with the 673d Logistics Readiness Squadron.

A 21-year-old paratrooper assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was killed in an improvised explosive device attack on Tuesday, April 3 while on patrol in Afghanistan.

According to the Army, Spc. Jeffrey Lee White Jr., of Catawissa, Mo., died when his unit was attacked in Khowst Province. Five other members of the 4/25th — also known as the Spartan Brigade — were injured.

Swooping down from an open Alaska sky, two 90th Fighter Squadron F-22 Raptor fighters - tail numbers 4090 and 4190 - flew above the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson flight line in formation and at speed.

KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan — A joint airdrop operation between Task Force Spartan, the U.S. Air Force, the Afghan Border Patrol and local militia Arbici was conducted to resupply paratroopers of Task Force Blue Geronimo at Combat Outpost Chergotah, a first for the area, Feb. 28.

PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Signs of progress for the Afghan National Security Forces was made in the icy city of Gardez on Feb. 18 when an improvised explosive device was discovered by Afghan Uniformed Police and destroyed by an Afghan National Army explosive ordnance disposal unit on a muddy street near the wood market.

Improvised explosive devices being found and disposed of by EOD units is not a rare occurrence in this volatile region of the country. What was special about this particular operation was that no coalition forces played a hand in it.